WASHINGTON — According to a US intelligence official, Russia has produced more artificial intelligence (AI) content aimed at influencing the upcoming US presidential election than any other foreign entity, specifically to bolster Republican candidate Donald Trump against Democrat Kamala Harris. This statement was made during a briefing on September 23 by an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), who spoke anonymously..

The official indicated that the AI-generated content from Moscow aligns with Russia's broader strategy to promote Trump’s candidacy while undermining Harris and the Democratic Party through conspiratorial narratives.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Russia has previously denied any involvement in US elections.

Generative AI, like other AI forms, learns from historical data to create new content, such as text, images, and videos, that mimic human production. The ODNI official emphasized that Russia is generating more AI content for the upcoming November election than any other nation, although they did not provide specific figures regarding the amount.

Additionally, the official noted that Russia operates with greater sophistication and a deeper understanding of the US electoral process. When asked about the dissemination of AI content, the official referenced a July 9 announcement from the Justice Department about disrupting a purported Moscow-backed initiative that utilized AI-enhanced social media accounts to promote pro-Kremlin narratives in the US and beyond.

The official also mentioned that "Russian influence actors" created a widely publicized video featuring a woman who falsely claimed to be a victim of a hit-and-run incident involving Harris. While the video was staged, it was not generated using AI.

Microsoft reported last week that the video was part of a covert Russian disinformation campaign.

In contrast, the official noted that while China is employing AI for broader influence efforts to shape its global image and amplify divisive issues in US politics, it has not specifically targeted the US election outcomes with AI.

"China is using AI in broader influence operations seeking to shape global views of China and amplify divisive US political issues," he stated, adding, "We are not yet seeing China use AI for any specific operations targeting US election outcomes."

Iranian influence groups have also utilized AI to create social media posts and craft fake news articles for websites posing as legitimate news sources. The content produced by Iranian actors is available in English and Spanish, targeting American voters across various political divides on contentious issues such as Israel, the Gaza conflict, and the presidential candidates.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Iran has denied any interference in the US election.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters